MADISON, Miss. – The Coastal Carolina University men's golf team shot a one-over 289 to finish fifth at the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Men's Golf Championship on Wednesday, as the Chants' final 54-hole score was a 10-over 874 on the team leaderboard at the Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Miss.
 
The Chants improved their score each round (295-290-289) and Wednesday's one-over score was the third-lowest score of the round trailing only South Alabama and Georgia Southern. The Chants also made the biggest move of the day, moving up four spots over the course of the final round.
 
Senior Seth Taylor completed a run in the championship which saw him finish as the championship runner-up with a final tally of seven-under 209 (71-68-70). He had back-to-back birdies on his 16th and 17th holes of the day, needing a birdie on the final hole to move into a first-place tie.
 
The par-5 holes were a strength for Taylor for all three rounds, posting seven on the par-5s for the tournament to lead all participants. His 4.50 scoring average on the par-5 holes was tied for the top average. Taylor also had a tourney-best 2.75 scoring average on the par-3 holes finished tied for 14th on the par-4 holes with a 4.07 scoring average.
 
Taylor recorded 14 birdies over his three rounds, which was tied for the second-most in the tournament field, and recorded 33 pars. His seven-under score was a career-best for the Gaffney, S.C., native, while his three-day 209 was tied for his career-best.
 
Like Taylor, Owen Kim shot a two-under 70 in Wednesday's final round placing him in a tie for 19th with a four-over 220 (77-73-70).
 
Kim's 3.08 scoring average on the par-3 holes was tied for 10th. His 34 pars were tied for 17th and his nine total birdies was tied for 20th.
 
Connor Newton shot a two-over 74 in the final round to finish tied for 29th at seven-over 223 (77-72-74). Garrett Cooper finished his three-days of play with a 12-over 228 (74-77-77) to finish tied for 48th, while Tyler Gray shot a three-over 75 in his only round of the championship.
 
Newton finished his three days tied for fifth with a 3.00 scoring average on the par-3 holes and tied for 20th with nine total birdies. Cooper finished tied for 17th with 34 pars.
 
"What a great week for Seth," head coach Jacob Wilner said. "He really managed his game well on a demanding course. We were making a run team-wise today, but unfortunately came up one spot short. We will continue to work hard to get better as a program."
 
Georgia Southern, the 26th-ranked team in the nation, held on to finish first in team play, sporting a three-under 861, and finishing one stroke in front of South Alabama, whose seven-under par in Wednesday's round moved them up to second with a two-under 862. Troy and Louisiana finished tied for third with a six-over 870 to round out the top four teams in team play that will now move on to match play on Thursday to determine the overall champion.
 
The Chants (+10, 874) finished fifth, followed by Arkansas State (+18, 882) and ULM (+20, 884). Texas State (+22, 886) and James Madison (+22, 886) tied for eighth, while Southern Miss (+24, 888), Georgia State (+30, 894), Appalachian State (+35, 899), Marshall (+45, 909), and Old Dominion (+48, 912) rounded out the field.
 
For complete coverage of CCU men's golf, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalMGolf (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.